Sublime
by RuRuLaLa
Summary: Naruto is given the option to save his long time tormentor's life, or walk away and leave it up to Fate. For him the choice is easy. But the repercussions of his decision are something he could never have predicted. SLASH
1. Chapter 1

Title: Sublime

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, et al. I do not own any concepts of the anime, manga, or franchise.

Genre: Humor/Drama/Hurt-Comfort

Summary: Naruto is given the option to save his long time tormentor's life, or walk away and leave it up to Fate. For him the choice is easy. But the repercussions of his decision are something he could never have predicted. SLASH

**Rated: T (For now)**

**Warning: SLASH! Violence, child abuse, rape (mentions of), strong language**

**~oOo~**

**Chapter 1**

Uchiha Mikoto knew this boy. When her son was in high school he never had a good thing to say about him. She would catch sight of him sometimes, limping home alone, bloodied and bruised, while her son stood by and smirked, laughing with his friends at the boy's state. It was obvious the boy's torment was the work of her son, even without him all but admitting it. The student's gleefully shouting about Sasuke's latest awesome prank on that Uzumaki loser made it perfectly clear that her son was the culprit.

During those times she'd felt guilty for the boy, angry at her son for treating someone so cruelly. She never said anything about it, nothing that would truly make a difference to her son's behavior anyway. She hadn't wanted to be one of those controlling mothers. Be too hard on a child and they would be contrary out of spite; that's what her mother always said. The last thing she wanted was her son to waste away in jail or join a gang or become a – a crack addicted bum just because she was too nosey! Besides, Fugaku - the big softy - would only undermine her the second she was out of earshot. Pointless to try, so why bother?

Now she wished she had scolded him, punished him, ANYTHING that would _somehow_ give her son some redeeming quality in the eyes of this boy, Uzumaki Naruto.

The one who could save her baby's life.

Mikoto squeezed her husband's hand, the other clutching the side of her seat so hard the stuffing was coming out. Across from her, Doctor Senju was explaining the rare kidney disease Sasuke had contracted and how Naruto was the only one in the area compatible for a transplant.

When he first walked in Mikoto recognized had him immediately. There weren't many Japanese with natural blue eyes and blond hair after all (Sasuke might have mentioned – derisively of course – he was part German, but she wasn't sure), and the thin black scars going across his cheeks (three on each side) were rather distinctive markings. Any hope that the boy didn't remember her son was summarily dashed halfway through the introductions..."_Sasuke!? Duck butt Uchiha Sasuke? He's sick?_"

His reaction had done nothing to assure her that he could be convinced to go through with the surgery. But she wasn't going to give up. No, not when her child's life was on the line. She was ready to offer this boy anything the Uchiha wealth could possibly buy, beg on her hands and knees – hell, force her son to beg! Anything this boy desired would be his if only he would save her son.

"...this hospital has the latest in medical technology and some –"

"I'll do it."

" – of the best surgeons in the country –" Senju Tsunade cut herself off, golden eyes blinking several times in surprise. "Ah…" she coughed. "Could you say that again please…?"

The boy (short and thin; it was hard for her to think of him as anything other than a boy, even though he was 20 years old) shrugged a shoulder. "I said I'll do it."

Mikoto nearly fell off her chair. She didn't bother to mask the choked sob of relief that escaped her, something that – as an Uchiha wife – she would have done everything in her power to hide in any other situation. Not now though. She hunched over, arms wrapped around her torso, gasping softly as a few tears trailed down her cheeks. For this one moment, out of sight from her children, she'd let go of her calm and comforting demeanor and allow the pain and fear and sorrow she'd felt these past few months to show.

Her husband's strong hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality. Right. This wasn't the end of it. There was still the matter of compensation. She took a silent deep breath, wiping away her tears, sitting up with her back straight. The relieved and anxious mother was gone, and in her place was Uchiha Mikoto; elegant and graceful business mogul, wife of multi billionaire Uchiha Fugaku, unflappable even in the face of her youngest son's near fatal illness.

With dread and determination curdling in her stomach, Mikoto waited for the small blond's demands.

"I'm gonna need to make some arrangements with my Café and bills and stuff er…" he ruffled the back of his head, making already messy blond locks stick up further. "when does this thing need to happen exactly? He's not gonna like…_die_ in a few days, is he?"

The boy's lack of tact was so startling Mikoto wasn't even sure if she was offended. Apparently Tsunade-san felt the same way, as the venerable doctor eyed the boy in a way that clearly said _Is this guy for real?_ "Well…we would like to get the operation done as soon as possible but no, a few days to settle your business should be fine."

"Cool, cool." The blond nodded to himself. Mikoto still waited for him to ask what he wanted in return for this priceless gift he was granting them. "Soooo, is there anything else I need to know?"

Dr. Senju flipped through the pages on her clipboard. "No, I believe we've gone over everything we need to for now. We'd like to give you a quick physical checkup, just to be safe before we go through with the procedure. Will you be available sometime tomorrow?"

"Sure. Is three o' clock ok?"

"Yes, that's perfect. I'm going to tentatively schedule the surgery for Friday; depending on the results of your checkup we may move the date later or earlier. Is that alright?"

Sapphire blue eyes looked to the ceiling. The boy muttered something to himself that sounded like "if I can call in on Monday and schedule a transfer Tuesday…" before it became unintelligible to Mikoto's ear. "Yup! That all sounds good to me." he chirped.

"Good, that's…great." The placid doctor smile Tsunade-san had been wearing shifted into something more genuine. She took the boy's hand in hers and shook it before they exchanged polite bows. "Thank you Uzumaki-san. I don't think I have to speak for the Uchiha's to say that we're all very grateful for you going through with this…"

"Yes," Fugaku finally spoke, rising to his impressive height of 6'3''. Her sons were rather on the tall side as well, but not as stocky in build as her husband. Granted, compared to the tiny Uzumaki boy they may as well have been giants, even her and Tsunade-san! "We are eternally in your debt Uzumaki-san, if there's anything we can –"

"Ohhhh no-no-no-no," Uzamiki said brusquely, shaking his hands in front of him for emphasis. Fugaku looked nonplussed, and as well he should be. It wasn't every day that someone, least of all a boy of such a low social status, interrupted one of the most powerful men in Konoha. "I don't want to hear about money or anything like that. I said I'll do it so I'mma do it, no strings attached."

The three older adults stared at Uzumaki in blatant shock. To refuse such an open ended offer (which was a _very_ rare kind of offer from the shrewd Fugaku) was completely unheard of. It was madness to even think of it!

"That's…admirable of you Uzumaki-san, but I must insist –"

"_Ex-_cuuuuuuuuuuse _**me**_, Uchiha-sama-san-sama-pants," The boy hopped to his feet, wagging a finger in Fugaku's face as if he were an errant child. Mikoto had to cover her mouth to hide her smile at the indignant expression her husband wore. This was the most dumbfounded she had seen him outside of his interactions with his oldest brother Madara. "but my kidney is not some back alley slut that needs to get paid for her _doings_. She's got class sir," he patted the side of his torso with pride, "a top of the line model, and I'd appreciate it if you showed her some respect."

Really, what does one say to something like that? Clearly her husband and family doctor had no clue, as they all simply gaped at the little blond, trying to decide if he was joking or simply insane. For one hysterical nanosecond, Mikoto debated if giving the kidney of such a mentally unstable youth to her son was such a good idea.

Uzumaki grinned a wide grin that lit up the entire room. This still did not alleviate Mikoto's fears about his sanity. "Anywhoozle, I've gotta go force some brats into thinking that learning is fun and awesome. See you tomorrow Doctor-san! Later Uchihas!" And with a cheerful wave and practically embodying the term '_little bundle of sunshine_', Uzumaki bounced out of the office.

The doctor and two parents were left in the room in silence. The cautious hope Mikoto had been feeling since Dr. Senju had found a match for her son was starting to blossom into full blown joy. Her son would live. Her precious, intelligent, beautiful son would live!

"_Well_," Dr. Senju exhaled, the happiness in her smile reflecting Mikoto's, "I think we should let Sasuke-kun in on the good news, yes?"

The two Uchiha's nodded, and followed their family doctor to the room Sasuke had been staying in since his illness had accelerated.

"What if the boy decides not to go through with the surgery?" Fugaku said.

"Then that will be his choice."

Mikoto felt her heart drop into her stomach. "B-but – he can't just back out! Aren't there laws –?"

"I'm sorry Mikoto," Tsunade turned to her fully. "Whether they want to go through with a surgery or not is completely up to the Donor. If Uzumaki changed his mind at the very last moment there would be nothing you or I could do about it," she said, voice gentle yet firm.

"So you're saying my son is still in danger? That he could…"

"This is why we haven't called off the search yet. There's still a chance that a match may be in this area, and if not here then somewhere as close as possible.

"But," she continued before Mikoto could descend into a true panic attack, "we all heard him in there. I've done a lot of transplants before, and I've never heard a Donor sound as committed as Uzumaki."

"Hn." Her husband still looked pensive. So much of this situation was out of his control, and with their son's life at stake Mikoto knew that this fact was tearing him up inside. Certainly, they could make Uzumaki's life a living hell if he rescinded his choice, but their son would still be dead. Then what would be the point? What would be the point of anything anymore?

"And there's still the matter of his payment," Fugaku muttered.

"He said he didn't want anything," said Mikoto.

Her husband snorted. "Everyone has a price."

She glanced sidelong at her husband but said nothing. She wasn't naive enough to believe the boy either. Perhaps he wasn't aware of just how much the Uchiha family had to offer; perhaps he had more sinister motives and was biding his time. Mikoto didn't care. She would give him whatever he asked and give it to him with a smile, and she would make her husband and sons smile as well. There were no lengths Mikoto wouldn't go through to keep her children healthy and happy.

When they entered Sasuke's room he was sitting up in bed, more aware than he had been in weeks. As Tsunade delivered the news, his eyes widened and his jaw went slack with shock.

"The dobe actually agreed to this?"

"Enough Sasuke!" Mikoto barked furiously. "You will not say another unkind word about Uzumaki-san! Do you understand me?"

All three occupants stared at her in surprise. Mikoto was rarely stern with her son, but that lackadaisical effort on his discipline had almost killed him. It still might, if Uzumaki-san had actually played them, plotting his vengeance as they spoke.

No. She wouldn't think of that. She had to concentrate on what she could do now, lest she completely break.

They discussed the preparations that would be going on for the next few days. Sasuke was sullen and curt with her for a while, but he warmed back up soon enough. Mikoto smiled, brushing her baby's bangs behind his ear as he leaned into her side. He skin was a sickly pale color and there were deep smudges under his dark eyes. His midnight black hair was limp and starting to get greasy. He was probably very irritated by this, that and the fact that he hadn't been able to have a proper shower in a while. Sasuke had always been very particular when it came to hygiene, she thought with a soft, loving smile.

She pressed a kiss against his head, to which he simply sighed contently to instead of scowling like usual. Mikoto swallowed back her sob. Her baby would get better. He simply had to.

To Be Continued…

**~oOo~**

End Notes:

The Plot Bunny has spoken and as of now it says: Naruto fanfic.

I love the Naruto fandom, but I stopped watching the Anime right up to Orochimaru fighting Sarutobi and I haven't touched a single manga soooooo…Alternate Universe for the win?

Now that I've finished giving all my Naruto canon!fail excuses – what do you think? Good, great, or greatest? Don't be shy, I won't be upset as long as you're honest – and by honest I mean worship me. O.O

Till the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Sublime

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto, et al. I do not own any concepts of the anime, manga, or franchise.

Genre: Humor/Drama/Hurt-Comfort

Summary: Naruto is given the option to save his long time tormentor's life, or walk away and leave it up to Fate. For him the choice is easy. But the repercussions of his decision are something he could never have predicted. SLASH

**Rated: T (For now)**

**Warning: SLASH! Violence, child abuse, rape (mentions of), strong language**

**~oOo~**

**Chapter 2**

_Crinkle, crinkle. _

He scooted further back on his seat.

_Crinkle, crinkle._

He shifted to the left.

_Crinkle, crinkle._

He paused. Then slowly, carefully, he shifted to the right…_Crinkle_.

_Crinklecrinklecrinklecrinkle!_

"GAHHHRRGG!"

Naruto jumped off of the exam table. The sound of the stupid paper cover against his stupid paper hospital gown was driving him insane! What the hell did he need to take his clothes off for? They could listen to his heartbeat and take his measurements just fine with his pants on, thank you very much!

And where was that doctor lady anyways? She said she would be back with his test results soon. This was not _soon_, this was like…a fuck ton of hours or something. Didn't she know what he could be doing with that time? A fuck ton of stuff, that's what! And none of it involved sitting around in a thin paper dress outside of kinky role play.

_Knock, knock._

Naruto meeped and scrambled back onto the dumb table, crinkling and crackling so loud that it sounded like he was setting off fireworks. By the time Dr. Senju had opened the door all the way the petit blond was sitting with his hands folded in his lap, back straight and what he hoped was an innocent expression on his face. She'd already threatened to drag this out longer when he wouldn't stop squirming during the blood tests. Was it his fault that those needles looked like the claws of Freddy Krueger? Of course it was! Naruto had a very active imagination.

"Uzumaki-san…"

Uh-oh. Naruto recognized that tone of voice; that expression that ranged from pity to shocked horror. He used to get it from sympathetic mothers and granny's back when he was a homeless little brat, with nothing but the torn up shirt on his back.

"Uzumaki-san, I've gone through your test results and…" she looked down at her clipboard as if she were seeking guidance on how to break the obviously bad news. Naruto knew his health was completely craptastic. He had countless injuries that hadn't healed right, heart problems, lung problems, weight problems…and that was only the stuff he knew about. He hadn't seen a doctor since he was like, five years old, so who knew what he had contracted since then.

"I'm afraid it's too dangerous for you to go through with the procedure."

Naruto nodded gravely. He kind of figured that out already. He was no expert, but he'd briefly studied in emergency medicine (during his career-jumping phase) and knew enough to understand that the healthier you are the safer it is to go through an operation. "So, I'm probably gonna die, right?"

Dr. Senju exhaled deeply. "Yes. If we operate on you, then you have about a 15% survival rate, and that's on the higher end of the scale."

Naruto blinked in surprise. That wasn't so bad. He was expecting to keel over the second they cut the thing outta of him; he'd already written his Will up and everything. But there was a chance he might live through this? Fuckin' sweet! "Ok then."

"It was very kind of you to offer in the first place," she said, smiling in a sad, gentle way, "I'm sure the Uchiha's will understand, and we are still searching for more matches so there's every possibility that we'll find them in the next few weeks –"

"Wait-wait-wait-_wait_! What're you talking about? I already said I'd do it!"

Now she looked startled. What was wrong with this lady? Had she been ignoring him this whole time or what? _Tch_. Hecka rude. "Uzumaki-san…I don't think you understand what I'm saying," she finally said slowly, as if she were talking to a dumbass…or a crazy person. Well, Naruto was no stranger to both of those names. "If you go through with this you will _die_."

"I thought you said there was a chance?"

"Yes, a very _small_ chance but –"

Naruto cut her off with a dismissive wave. "Doesn't matter either way. I'm gonna do it."

The scowl on her face said she would like nothing more than to shake some sense into him. He was used to getting that look too. "Look, I think you should speak with your family before you make any definite decisions –"

"Got no family to talk it over with," he muttered. There was an awkward pause. Naruto avoided her eyes so he wouldn't have to see the pity in them.

The small blond let out a weary sigh. There wasn't a soul in the world who gave a shit if he lived or died. He knew it. She probably knew it. So why did he have to come out and say it, huh? "Listen Doc, you said Sasuke needs a kidney ASAP, right? Or he's a gonner right?"

"Naruto-kun…" There was a real soft like look in the Doctor's golden eyes that Naruto hadn't seen directed at him in very long time. "I'm not going to ask you to sacrifice your life for someone else's –"

"You're not asking, I'm offering."

She looked like she was struggling to keep her composure now; with her jaw clenched and a shiny film forming over her pretty eyes. It felt kinda nice to see that she cared about him, even if it was only because she didn't want to be responsible for killing a patient. He took her hand in his – startling her out of her inner doctor turmoil – and gave a bright, reassuring smile. "What are you lookin' like that for? You're Dr. Senju Tsunade, aren't you? The bestest, hottest, old lady surgeon in all of Japan!"

Dr. Senju snorted, but at least she looked a little less like she was about to fall apart now. Score one for Naruto! "I'll let that 'old' comment slide this time, brat."

"What? If I wasn't gay I'd totally hit that."

She stared at him in mute shock for a moment. "Has anyone ever told you that their not sure if they should punch you or hug you?"

"Only everyone, ever," he said with a cheeky smile.

She laughed as well, a shaky _'I'm-too-shocked-to-know-how-to-feel-right-now'_ type of laugh. But as long as they stayed on track of the important stuff (i.e getting that Super-Douche a hot and fresh kidney) then he would keep saying borderline socially inappropriate things.

Plus, he didn't like making people cry, especially world renowned doctors.

For the rest of their meeting Dr. Senju didn't try to convince him to not go through with the surgery again. She recommended a dietary plan, suggested some life style changes, prescribed medication that he wouldn't purchase because he had no health insurance – it was all pointless stuff really. The surgery was like, a few days from now, right? Eating healthy, even if he could afford to, all of a sudden wouldn't make a difference.

Before he left, she told him in a voice quiet and pleading: "I could tell the Uchiha's for you, if that's what you're worried about. I'll tell them that you wanted to do this and that I refused to allow it."

She really seemed to care about him. That made Naruto smile – soft for her this time. He also noticed what she didn't say, what she hadn't said this whole time:

'_I refuse to operate on you.'_

She must care about the Uchiha's too, more than him. That was good. It meant she wouldn't back out as long as he didn't back out.

And Naruto would not back out, because Uzumaki Naruto lived by two maxims.

The first was he never went back on his word.

The second was if he _could_ do something, he _would_ do something.

So he gave her a grin so big that his eyes squinted until they were practically closed and he didn't have to see the sadness and guilt and relief in hers. "I'll see you Friday, Doc."

~**oOo**~

Naruto had a pretty fucked up past. Most of it – the fucked upness, that is – lay in Whirlpool, but it was the source for a lot of his problems here in Konoha.

His life hadn't started out horrible, as most horrible things tended to do. His father, Minato Namikaze was a Japanese man born and raised in Germany. He had a small family there; a wife and three sons. His two oldest were twins, Yahiko and Nagato, and there was his youngest Deidara. They were all smart and beautiful and loved by their community and everything was pretty close to fucking perfect. Until Minato's wife died in a car accident. Naruto didn't know the details of that, or the life they had led before Minato got with Naruto's mom. Deidara had been too young, and Yahiko and Nagato simply never spoke of it.

All he knew was that a year later Minato and his little family moved to Japan where his father, _Grossvater_ Jiraiya as Naruto had called him, lived in the metropolitan city of Whirlpool **(1)**. He worked as a police officer, as he had in Germany, and climbed his way to the top to become the youngest Commissioner General in years. And again, the Namikaze's were well loved by the whole community. But things didn't click until Minato met Uzumaki Kushina, a mere secretary in the department he worked in. She had two sons of her own, Kurama the oldest and Gaara the youngest. She was a quiet and frail thing, dealing with ill health her whole life. No one, not Minato's comrades and not the nosey public of Whirlpool, would have expected the passionate flame that was Minato to take any interest in the meek but kind Kushina.

But he did. And after the usual song and dance of romance and love they were married, and things clicked back into perfect for the Namikaze family.

A few years later Minato and Kushina had their first child together and more physically combined the Namikaze's and Uzumaki's. The pregnancy wasn't easy, but both mother and child survived. Little Sasori had his father's defined facial structure and his mother's hair and eyes and health problems.

They waited three years before trying again. They followed the doctor's orders to the T; eating healthy, exercising…everything imaginable that would insure this next pregnancy went smoothly.

It did not. Kushina was bedridden by the second month of the pregnancy and there were several miscarriage scares. By the time Naruto was born both he and his mother were on the brink of death.

Somehow they survived though, with the consequences such trauma on the body following them. Kushina never recovered enough to go back to work while Naruto was in and out of the hospital most of the time.

Those were still some of Naruto's happiest memories. The pains from his illness…meh, they were secondary, the background of his memories. The _background_ of the background of his memories. What he did recall – with fondness and love and joy that he could bring forth when his days just seemed like an endless void of misery – was how super cool and brave his father was. How beautiful and quietly patient his mother was. How amazingly tough Yahiko and Nagato were and how awesome they were at sports. He remembered how much he was awed by Deidara's paintings and the ease he would mock Naruto's bullies with a few words and turn them away. He remembered how he and Sasori would plot pranks for the nurses when they happened to both be in the hospital, all through the night to distract themselves from the pain. He remembered singing the stupid songs he learned in school to Gaara when he had nightmares, how he only smiled and laughed for Naruto and only allowed Naruto and their mother to hug him. He remembered stoic and aloof Kurama. How even though he and Yahiko and Nagato were about the same age, Kurama seemed so much older and wiser, like he knew all the secrets of the universe.

Naruto had loved every waking moment with his family. They were his everything and could do no wrong in his eyes. He was happy, blissfully happy.

And then one night, when Naruto was five years old, Kurama killed his father and raped his mother to death and killed little Sasori and Yahiko and he would have killed Gaara as well if Naruto hadn't pushed him into the kitchen cabinet and locked him in there.

His oldest brother, at age 18 with a full scholarship to Tokyo University, was in the midst of carving lines into Naruto's cheeks when the police finally came (too late, way too fucking late) and chased him away.

Maybe that would have been the end of it. Maybe Naruto would have been able to grieve properly and quietly come to terms with that horrific night. There would be a scandal, of course there would. The Namikaze's were important people to Whirlpool, and important people get talked about, positively or negatively. Maybe, after a while, Naruto could have been at peace.

But Kurama went and killed nine other families, all of them with nine members in their household.

All of the bodies were left with carvings on their face, just like Naruto's.

The press nicknamed him Kyuubi. Not very original, but they didn't give a shit about original, or facts, or the pain the families were going through. They just wanted something catchy. They also would not let the story die, and proceeded to cement the ruination of Naruto's life in Whirlpool.

They unearthed all kinds of awful things about his mother. Things that should never be splashed so carelessly – _happily_ – on the front page of newspapers and in gossip rags and _fucking internet memes_.

His mother had not always been the subdued, shy creature his father had first met. She was still sickly, but she'd been goofy, opinionated, obnoxiously _loud_, but with the same good soul and kind nature she always had. Despite her disabilities, she was a field officer, and as much a credit to her job as her husband was. At the height of her career she up and quit. No resignation papers, no explanation, just a phone call and then..._poof_, she was gone, dropped off the face of the planet. Seven years later, she surfaced at her old job again, with a too quiet infant and an expressionless 8 year old in tow, and the disposition of a wounded doe – frightened and delicate.

Nobody cared about the lack of investment anyone took in to finding her, the incompetency of her own damn coworkers, the cruel indifference of her family. No, that wasn't interesting enough. All anyone cared about was what had happened during that seven year period.

For those seven years Kushina's older brother had her imprisoned in his basement, where she was repeatedly tortured and raped, the results of that being Gaara and Kurama.

Everything went straight to hell after that got out. They speculated (and by _speculated_ they meant made the fuck up) how obvious it was that Kurama was an insane serial killer, what with being the product of _incest_ (cue dramatic shuddering) and all. The sympathetic spin they were giving Kushina slowly spiraled into pity and subtle disgust, and the public just ate it up. A little after Gaara was born, she had killed her brother to escape him. This was confirmed by her parents (sweet Obaa-chan who had always given Naruto extra cookies when he visited and Ojii-chan who told him awesome war stories when Naruto was sick in bed), who had done nothing to stop her brother and had hid the body when she had killed him.

_Clearly murder and insanity came from __**that**__ side of the family,_ the papers would say. The people of Whirlpool would say. _Yes, yes it was just __**awful**__ what was done to her and all, but she was obviously insane herself! She should've committed herself to an asylum, __**far**__**away**__ from normal people. And poor Commissioner Namikaze and his family had to pay the price for her irresponsibility._

They started to throw out names for Gaara too; Autistic, psychopath, retarded (the last one made Naruto's blood boil with rage). If there was any good that could come of this then at least he wasn't seen as a dangerous criminal, too "mentally handicapped" to be responsible for his actions as he was.

As for Naruto, who was obviously in control of all his mental faculties, they just labeled him Kyuubi 2. Hatred and fear followed him wherever he went. It didn't matter that he was just a sickly, grief stricken five year old who had his whole world swept from under his feet. All people saw was the son of a mentally unstable mother and the brother of a monster.

The rest of the survivors of Naruto's broken family were thankfully spun as victims during the whole media shit storm, and spared most of the attention. Nagato had run off to join the army, while Deidara had gone to live with _Grossvater_ Jiraiya. Meanwhile Gaara and Naruto were shuffled through foster homes, until Gaara was adopted by Sabaku Shakin, Chairmen of Ichibi Enterprises. Naruto later found out that Sabaku was facing some bad publicity at the time, and thought saddling himself with a handicapped kid (all the better that he was notorious) would help win him some public sympathy.

But the crafty old bastard was rich, and insured his Gaara-nii went to all the best schools and had anything money could buy. That's all Naruto could hope for his brother to have at the time.

Naruto tried to keep in contact with his brothers. He wrote to Nagato all the time, but never received a single letter back. They were never returned to him either, so he supposed there was some hope that Nagato was at least reading them. Deidara he had run into one rainy day in a park, during one of the many periods in his life where he had nowhere to go and no one to turn to.

At ten years old – cold, hungry, and hurting – the sight of his _Grosser Bruder_ and _Grossvater_ had been like finding an oasis in a desert.

"Deidara! _Bitte, hilf mir!_" He remembered begging in German. Out of all of his brothers, Naruto had always been the best at both of the birth languages of their parents. _Please, help me!_

He'd limped up to him, until his grubby hands weekly clutched the soft, warm, _clean_ jacket of his older brother; tears of respite running down his dirty whisker-scarred cheeks. "_Est tu weh._" _It hurts._

The pale blue eyes of their father narrowed down at Naruto. Emotions he had never seen before, least of all directed at him, bore down on him with the weight of mountains.

Disgust. _Loathing_.

"_Nein_," Deidara hissed. **(2)**

"_Grosser Bruder!_" Naruto cried. More tears drenched his cheeks. "_Bitte! Bitte!_ _Ich…__Ich sterbe._" All the desperation and pain and loneliness he'd felt over the years came out in a choked whisper. _I…I'm dying_.

Deidara turned away from him, as if he couldn't bear to look at his little brother anymore. "_NEIN!_" he raged, growling like a feral animal.

The rain started to pour in earnest. Deidara jerked his coat out of Naruto's grip so hard that his weakened body collapsed to the hard cement. On his knees, soaking wet in his rags and heart breaking into shards irreparable, he looked up at his _Grossvater_ for salvation.

Jiraiya had his back to him, like Deidara. He hadn't looked at him the entire time.

They started to walk away, hand in hand. Naruto let his chin fall to his chest. "_Ich Liebe Dich…_" he whispered to the ground.

There was a pause. Then the _splash-swish_ of footsteps in puddles, until they faded away, and Naruto was left with nothing again.

_I love you,_ he had said. Though at the time he had meant _goodbye_. Naruto truly thought he was dying then, or at least going to die sometime soon. There was no Kaa-chan and Vati **(3)** to take him to the hospital anymore, no Sasori-nii to snuggle up with in the starchy cots, no gang of brothers to visit him with presents and smiles and jokes. Most of the orphanage staff just left him to his own devices, while the various foster parents he was saddled with would give him random cheap medication at best or hit him until he shut up at worst. It was especially worse when he was on the streets. He never knew if today would be the day he would starve to death, or if he would succumb to his illness, or if some other crazy homeless person would simply up and kill him.

Naruto survived though. Not easily. Sometimes not happily – there were times when he would've liked nothing more than to just lie there and let death take him. But he did it, damnit. Through Fate or sheer bullheaded stubbornness he didn't know. And now, after years of anguish and suffering and finally beginning to shape his life into something his parents might be proud of, he was going to die for some spoiled rich prick that used to pick on him in High School.

'_Ha! And people say I don't know what irony is. Showed them!_'

Outside of the hospital Naruto sat on a bench next to his Bus Stop, swinging his feet back and forth. He didn't have enough money for a car – hell, he barely had enough money for his apartment and his Café – but he managed to get around. A few times, when he was short on cash, Naruto would hop onto the closest flat board with wheels (skateboards, wooden dollies, rolling chairs. All abandoned of course; he was an idiot, not a thief) and hung onto the back of a moving vehicle. Sometimes it worked out like it did in the movies. Most of the time it did not.

At least the passersby's seemed to be entertained by his antics. That's what Naruto liked about Konoha. The people knew about the bowl of fuckery that was his past, particularly the older generation, but the whole _city_ wasn't out to make his life a living hell. Unlike in Whirlpool, he didn't have mothers shuffling their kids away when he walked by, or random people glaring or throwing things at him.

No, most of the Konohanians were pretty chill when it came to him. It was employment and housing and schools that he had problems with; places that required a background check.

Naruto's records said Namikaze, but he introduced himself as Uzumaki – loud and proud – no matter what the occasion. He probably would've had a much easier time with life in general if he distanced himself from his mother. But Nartuto would never do that. Not in a million years, not for a million friggin' dollars. Uzumaki Kushina was ten times the human being any of the judgmental asshats in Whirlpool and Konoha could ever _dream_ to be. Naruto would not allow them to think otherwise by shucking off her name, no matter what the cost to his wellbeing.

Besides, easy was for pussies.

The bus finally arrived. As the small blond smooshed himself between a young business woman and a cute guy with a Chihuahua, he used the long ride to think of how to make today's lesson plan interesting enough to keep the little brats' attention. Every other day Naruto volunteered as a tutor at Hokage Orphanage – an appropriately ominous name for an orphanage that housed children spawned from the unholy threesome between Satan, crack cocain, and pixie sticks.

Iruka-san, one of the caretakers, was the one who came up with the idea and pretty much the only one who maintained it. Iruka-san was a kind man who tried his best to do right by the children. With limited funds to the orphanage and an even small paycheck, sometimes his best wasn't always enough. But Iruka-san did what he could and more, the little programs he tried to set up were prime examples of that. Naruto thought that if he'd had someone like Iruka-san, someone who gave even 1 single fuck about him, at the orphanages in Whirlpool he would've been spared a lot of heartache.

A super mega awesome idea suddenly hit Naruto's brain. He had the perfect game; simple, yet it would keep their little ADHD minds content. Naruto knew this, because he used to be just like those heathens when he was a kid.

The blond grinned to himself, confident that he would once again trick the Hokage orphans into thinking learning was cool and not for nerds. Muwhahahaha! They would all be nerds by the end of the school year if he had anything to say about it damnit!

There must have been something sketchy in his expression then, because the business woman was giving him a chagrined look as she pulled her suit jacket closer shut. Naruto stared right back at her with unimpressed eyes before lifting his nose haughtily in the air. "_Che_, don't flatter yourself." He turned to the cute guy next to him, and looked up coyly through his lashes. "_You_, on the other hand…"

"E-EH!?" the guy shrieked. He gaped at Naruto in horror and attempted to scramble away as far as the crowded bus would allow, lifting his dog in front of him as a shield.

A little bell chimed and the STOP sign at the front of the bus flashed red. Slowly, the blond leaned towards the terrified guy until he was nearly nose to nose…

With the Chihuahua.

"Hey baby," Naruto said to the dog with a lecherous smirk, "you must be tired, 'cuz you've been running through my mind _all_ day."

The doggy blinked his bulbous eyes up at him. Naruto smiled contently back, and scratched behind his ear.

Doggy's owner's face was now a mask of confusion. The narcissistic business lady was also giving him an odd look. Jealous, most likely.

As the bus rolled to a stop, Naruto pulled out his business card and held it in front of the dog, who dutifully grasped it in his mouth. The blond gave him one last wink before putting his hand up to his ear and miming a phone and mouthing "_Call me_" before getting off the vehicle.

"Arf!" Doggy said, tail wagging happily.

The cute owner turned his dog to face him. "Tsuki!" he cried, a mixture of incredulous betrayal. "What the fuck!?"

Naruto waved at them from outside, a cheerful smile stretched across his face. "You have to let him make his own decisions!" he called, and from look of terror that was etched on the guy's face he had heard Naruto loud and clear.

Heh, nothing like weirding out random people to lift up the melancholy mood.

**~oOo~**

**1** Grossvater – Grandfather in German. Pronounced: growss-vah-ter. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

**2** Nein – No in German

**3** Vati – Daddy in German

Sources provided by your friendly neighborhood Ask!Yahoo. Any experts in the language are encouraged to correct me.

End Notes:

And the Bunny continues! It gnaws and proves bothersome, and yet I give in to its whims. What can I say, I'm a slave to mere woodland creatures…er, I mean ideas or…wait, what's the metaphor again?

Thanks to everybody who reviewed! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and please, let me know what you think!


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